Features

January 2014, and we were lucky enough to get our mitts on a 2015 Salomon Gypsy, fresh from the wrap for a week's test in Morzine. Three months later, and the Gypsy winked at me from the corner of the More Mountain test centre on the Subvert Boardstore Slushy.

Meribel based chalet company, Alpine Ethos, are passionate about snowboarding. Heather & Andy, who have been shredding since 2001, have been running successful snowboarding holidays in Meribel since 2009.

Last week we spent an incredible week on Our Camp alongside Gilly Seagrave and Ben Kinnear, who put us through our paces in park, piste, pipe and powder for a week of coaching in Morzine and Avoriaz.

We were lucky to have a mixture of perfect powder days, bluebird park days, warm sunny afternoons, as well as biting cold mid-winter blizzards – but what that meant was the equipment we had in our paws to review, was properly put to the test. Here’s our rundown of some of the top snowboarding accessories we couldn’t have gone without last week.

Morzine-based luxury chalet company Treeline Chalets are heavily involved in the UK snowboard scene, and offer huge support to Team GB Olympic riders Dom Harington and Billy Morgan. So with the Olympics a matter of days away, we caught up with Treeline owner Duncan Ross to chat winter, Morzine, seasons, brand collaborations, and of course the pretty awesome matter of their riders heading to Sochi!

Following the success of last season's British brand focus, we thought we'd delve into the depths of more UK independent clothing brands who are making their marks on the UK snowsports scene. This time, it's the words of D4Seven and Funi Wear.

In just a matter of seasons, award-winning wax sensations Butta took the UK snowsports industry by storm, and not only can their waxes be found slicking boards belonging to some of the UK's top riders, but the Butta boys are familiar faces at some of the top action sports events around the nation.

Over the years the Freeze Festival has evolved and since its beginnings in 2008 we've seen event organizers at Vision Nine mix things up. Yet 2013 witnessed the biggest change-up of them all, with regards to location and its winter sports spectacle.

Cab Five Snowboard Shop in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne has teamed up with GONEboarding to give you a look at some of the best new products they have for the 2014 season. You can get 15% off on their website by using the GoneBoarding discount code: CAB15GB

If you’re looking for a late season deal on your snowboard gear then head over to Cab Five where they currently have a 50% sale on all 2013 seasonal stock. Cab Five is coming to the end of its third season and they are looking to get rid of their current gear to make way for the 2014 range that will start dropping in a couple of months time, including products from newly stocked brand: YES Snowboards!

I know it's a cliché to say that a week on the mountain was 'the best week ever', but when it came to Spring Break 2013, there's no doubt about using the phrase. Every rider who makes the annual May bank holiday pilgrimage to Kaunertal returns the following year, because no matter how deep your powder was this winter or how epic your season's location was, nothing seems to beat the awesomeness of Snowboard Spring Break - aka the UK snowboard industry board test.

Our first run found us knee deep in super fresh powder, but completely lost, with not even a lift line in sight. We had no idea where we were, with trees on every side, a pretty steep drop in front, and a petrified Bulgarian kid in tow who had accidentally followed us in the whiteout.

Snowboarding is all about having rad times with your friends – sharing experiences, pushing limits, and, for some, giving something back to the industry and those who make those rad times possible. From this ethos, a whole host of independent clothing brands have not only sprung up in the UK, but have made a big impact on the UK’s snowboarding community.

Contract Snowboards has taken the UK snowboard industry by storm with its new patented 3D Snake Transition Nano Technology, straight from the mountains of Poland. To cut a long story short, the Contract developers managed to separate board flex and cross flex, and after the success of the vigorous mountain testing, now integrate this into their handcrafted boards. So, with that said, we felt it was time to strap in and put the technology through its paces in the UK freezers.

Some of the UK’s top riders showed the rest of the world how we roll this weekend in what turned out to be the best display of snowboarding ever to land on English soil. Coupled with a soundtrack from the likes of Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash, the Relentless Energy Drink Freeze festival was an epic weekend that noone will want to forget.

At just 12 years old, Ayla Thidling has accomplished more than most will achieve in a lifetime, having won a whole host of medals and already sponsored by some of the biggest brands in the industry. Having just returned from New Zealand, sweeping the national championships, we caught up with Ayla before she sets herself up for the northern hemisphere winter.

The guys over at Cab Five Snowboard Shop have put together an article giving GONEboarding readers a quick first look at the brand new Switchback Bindings.

Switchback is Bataleon’s new binding brand that has been eagerly anticipated by many snowboarders since they were announced last season. Ridden by the Helgason brothers, Switchback are a completely different take on the usual process of purchasing a pair of bindings, in that you don’t actually buy a pair of ready made, boxed bindings. The whole idea behind the new brand is customization and providing each rider with his/her own individual, unique pair of bindings.

12-year-old UK shredder Cerys Allen has been snapped up by super-brand Westbeach to keep her kitted out with the sweetest outerwear this winter. With only a few weeks til the Westbeach In & Out snow comps hit the UK, we thought there’s no better person to give us the lowdown than one of the brand’s newest riders.

While down at the Relentless Energy Drink Boardmasters Festival last weekend, we caught up with Chris Moran and John Bassett from Looking Sideways, to tell us about the project and how they’re mixing action sports with the world of art.

For many of us, summer is just a passing time between winters. For the lucky ones, it's either the gap between seasons, or hitting up the Southern Hemisphere to run the 'endless winter' dream. But with only a few months left until the mountains are calling, this is the time of the year we really feel important to not only keeping up the skills we learnt the previous winter, but developing the skills enough to take our next winter to the next level.

Summer may have finally descended upon us but with only a matter of months til winter is back, we’re already counting the days til we can pack our board bags again. As a result, we’re thinking about what to put in those bags and what we should be rocking on the slopes come winter. Thanks to The Snowboard Test back in May, we had a chance to put all the 2012 kit to the test – as here’s our pick of the crop.

The guys from NothinButSnow have one of the most envious lifestyles you could imagine – spending half the year running instructor courses in Canada’s champagne powder, and the other half running kite surfing schools in the glorious sunshine.

Butta is the latest brand to be sweeping the feet off the UK snowboard scene - a British-born, ethical, inspirational, innovative, environmentally-friendly and (quite frankly) totally rad snowsports wax company, who first seduced us with the awesome scent of their warm wax on the Austrian slopes of Kaunertal.

You know that feeling you get when something feels right? Well, add in an almost empty mountain, recent snowfall, some side hits, 3 parks and The Stash, and you get the picture. The reason for this feeling? The 2013 StepChild Jib Stick.

Four days at the industry snowboard test is enough for my system to cope with. How people survive the week I do not know, but those four days resulted in the biggest end-of-winter comedown you can imagine. It’s a pure mashup of epic shredding, epic parties and super rad times with super rad people, which makes it the sickest end to winter known to man.

In January, James from Cab Five Snowboard Shop managed to get out and test the entire 2013 Union range and has written up an overview of the main models for GONEboarding. You can check also out their big end of season sale at www.cabfive.co.uk

Ripping off the factory wrap in January 2012 for the 2013 Salomon Oh Yeah, I was like a child at Christmas. Since then that stick has taken me from piste to park, freezer to mountain, from ice to pow, and there's nothing I'd change about that board in any condition. Here's what happened.

We had a chance to see the new tech that was being used in some of the new Nitro Snowboard range for 2012/13 at ISPO and wow light weight they are! Here is the interview we did with The Board Syndicate and Tommy for Nitro!

In January I was lucky enough to be part of the 2013 Never Summer Board Test with The Rider Social in Chatel. Paul handed me a Proto CTX and Premier F1 to slay the powder that fell continuously that week, which were reviewed earlier this season.

What more can be said about 686 than it's a truly grass roots snowboarding company!We have seen so many cool brand collaborations over the years but Mike West was a pioneer of bringing the best people together to make cool products that we all want to wear and ride. After 20 years in the game this year the brand and people who are 686 keep pushing the boundaries and passion of snowboarding here is the interview we had at ISPO.

“Serbia declares a state of emergency as 11,000 people trapped in villages by severe snowstorms. Relief efforts are underway as temperatures drop to minus 37 degrees, and experts have warned that worse days are still ahead.”

On Saturday afternoon we decided to do the half day freestyle course with Definition Camps. By the second run, we’d already decided we were coming back the next day, giving us one of the best freestyle training weekends we’ve had in the UK freezers.

Never Summer Snowboards don’t need much in the way of an introduction, but I’ll give you a little history lesson anyway. Starting out as a basement operation in 1983, the Canaday brothers, Tim and Tracey have grown the business into an internationally recognised company. They work closely with the world’s leading raw material manufacturers and engineers to make sure each snowboard is the most durable and high performance on the planet. Each snowboard is handcrafted in their Denver factory and so confident are they of the quality of their boards that they all come with a 3-year warranty. They focus less on promotion and hype, letting the snowboards that come out of the factory do the talking for them.

Kieran from Blue Mile Snowsports takes a different approach to snowboard coaching. But it works.

Don't quote me on this, but tantra is all about enlightenment, and an individual ability tochannel your own energies, in order to better yourself with the earth around you. Thisweek I discovered this can be applied to snowboarding, not just to help you enjoy it more, but to make you a far better rider too.

Kaz Willmer reports from the BoardnLodge Snowcamps sponsored by Animal, in Nassfeld, Austria.

It's always the first camp of the season for us all, when campers old and new gather at Stansted Airport to relocate snowboard kit between backpacks, boardbags and bodies in order to convince Ryanair that we're legitimately allowed on the flight.

Recently we headed to Bielsko-Biala in the South of Poland to hook up with the guys at Contract Snowboards and check out their Factory NBL Sport. NBL have been producing boards for some of the biggest names in snowboarding and kite boarding for the last 15 years. Contract, their own brand is fairly new on the snowboard scene, now in their third season; they have blown everyone away with their Snake Technology, high quality product, and sheer love of snowboarding. Here we get the low down from Dominika Brand Manager at Contract Snowboards.

Once upon a time there was a massive kicker. 13ft to be exact, and it appeared at The Snow Centre in Hemel. Twenty-five riders were invited to hit this mahusive feature, then those daring enough to challenge the invitees clambered over the last 25 spots. The reason? The first stop of the Nike Chosen Series.

What is there to be said about Gigi that hasn't already been said? Perhaps that he's a just as eclectic and interesting character when stripped bare of all sponsor logos off and of the snow as he is on snow?

Or that he gets more covers in one season than most pros' in their entire careers!

We can all dream about taking a trip to AK, sipping champagne in a luxury lodge and relaxing in a hot-tub watching the Northern Lights in between taking heli-rides to hit yet another massive face, but for most of us it's never going to be an option. So what do you really need? It's a pretty short list in some ways. You could start and finish with snow. A wee bit more than that would be nice though. Some sweet terrain. Comfy room, good food, good company and cold beer. Then super-size the order for snow and put a hold on the hordes of French skiers in onesies or mad Scandies in bling gear.

I wasn't even going to test the Smokin Vixen. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time, when a fine young man appeared, and put it in my hands. “I'm not telling you anything about this board, you're just going to ride it, and love it.”

Five hours later, when he's prising it from my reluctant fingertips, I realised my riding days had just begun. The Vixen is the future. Fact.

I tried to save myself, but failed. In fact, I'd got on the download mix before the sun had set on the day of release. The release of the Art of Flight had been so hyped up that it was impossible not to watch it, after being teased by some spine-chilling teasers.

But then I was afraid it would be like opening your Christmas presents a day early – and I'd then be disappointed on the big day. But how wrong I was.

Ben Frey is a Vancouver based artist who's art work has been used over the last 5 years by the Sitka Surfboard brand this winter he was approached by Westbeach to collaborate on a jacket for this upcoming season.

We had a catch up with Ben about his influences, Vancouver and the Westbeach collaboration.

Anyone who has ever shredded fresh, untracked powder will know that it is the ultimate peak experience in skiing and snowboarding. That moment when everything goes silent except for the gentle swoosh of light fluffy snowflakes kicking up as you glide and slash your way through expanses of virgin powder.

This winter we want to showcase the talent that the UK has to offer, and their are some Rad snowboard brand out there! What better brand to kick this off than Transform Gloves! We had a chat with Tom Kingsnorth about how things started, where his inspiration comes from and the Park Hill freestyle camp project which involves Jamie Nicholls, Gulli Gudmundsson,Danny Larsen and Ethan Morgan!

Our pulses have been on overdrive since the first teaser for the Art of Flight landed on our desktops. Beads of sweat dripped down our foreheads, and we uncontrollably moaned out loud at what we were witnessing. The adrenaline was pumping and tingles ran down our spines. The Art of Flight was coming our way, and all we could do was press Replay.

Cab Five Snowboard Shop is about to start its second season in Newcastle upon Tyne and James, the owner, managed to get hold of Bataleon’s 2012 Evil Twin to test out last spring and has written up a review for GONEboarding.

You can receive 10% off all purchases through Cab Five using the discount code ‘CAB11GBMD’ at the checkout.

It's summer time. The time of year when riders come back from their enviously-snowy locations around the world, and once again catch up with family and friends, or hit up some of the summer festivals, surf and release their alter egos. These alter egos come in many forms, but in the case of Seb Kern, his alter ego is an insanely good DnB/dubstep DJ known as SOCOM.

Rowan Biddiscombe is one of the most multi-tasking, multi-talented guys in the UK snowboard industry. We picked him up on an Austrian street corner, hitch-hiking home from the UK Industry snowboard test. In exchange for the ride, he took us to his favourite eatery (Burger King, Innsbruck), and shared with us the man behind the face of Rowan Biddiscombe. Sponsored by Ride Snowboards, Electric Goggles, FBBB and Moog Royale. Rowan isn't just an immense rider - he also DJ's, makes movies and mixes tunes too. And that's not all. We introduce to you, Mr Rowan Biddiscombe.

It was a surreal feeling at 2.30am, driving past the Sno!Zone at MK, glowing purple on the horizon through the darkness. We considered stopping, waiting a few hours, and spending all day riding there. Most people escape in July for some summer sun, but Boarders Boards flipped our cards and instead we drove 400 miles to the world's biggest indoor snow centre in Landgraaf, Holland.

If you’d ventured deep in the Somerset countryside this weekend (July 8th-10th), you would’ve found thousands of revellers in the midst of an immense extreme sports festival – the Relentless Energy Drink NASS festival.

From the moment you entered the Bath & Somerset Showground, you were immersed in a new world of skateboarding, BMX, extreme sports competitions and some of the greatest tunes known to man, in an epic weekend that many won't forget in hurry.

They say there's no better feeling in riding than when you stomp a new trick, and after yesterday, I can honestly say that eight of us are now the poster faces for 'that-stoked-feeling-you-get-when-you-stomp-something-new'. We were on the Grounded Freestyle Coaching day at Hemel Snow Centre under the guidance of Grounded's Dave Seeley and FBBB's Mikee Cee. Quite frankly, If you want to be a better rider, then there's no doubt Grounded Freestyle Coaching is for you – whoever you are, and whatever your level, style or goal.

This weekend last year it was still possible to shred on some Scottish snow but we didn’t quite manage it again so everyone had to make do with heading to Bearsden dryslope for the Go Big or Go Home comp. For those who have not darkened its doorstep the setup at the slope is pretty sweet with a smooth kicker, a decent sized quarterpipe and a selection of rails and boxes.

Following on from the well received reviews and Q+A with Product Development Manager Vince Sanders we received a bunch of profiles of the men behind Never Summer. From the Owners Tim and Tracey Canaday to the cut and sidewall finisher Dom Maxey, we get an insight into the men behind the brand. Most of the guys are pictured with custom boards, many they have handmade themselves. GONEboarding also have a shot of owner Tim with a 2012/13 base graphic.

After sending a link to Never Summer HQ for the recent reviews by GB Moderator fatbob, we received a big thankyou from Never Summer Product Development Manager Vince Sanders. Following a number of e-mails, Vince kindly agreed to do a Q+A with the forum members and give us a behind the scenes look at Never Summer.

Just because the Royals wanted to steal the May Bank Holiday limelight, it didn't mean the UK snowboard industry would have to face any less of a climax to the end of the snow season. In fact, with the chance to shout out about being British, the Snowboard Test actually embraced this little Royal shindig, and gave us a mountain recipe for an all-round sick week on snow. The main ingredient this year was an insane injection of sunshine, a fine recipe for a right Royal Shredding.

Kaz Willmer goes behind the scenes at the 2011/12 industry snowboard test in Kaunertal, Austria.Photos: Will Lake and Kaz Willmer

Cab Five Snowboard Shop opened for its first season this year in Newcastle upon Tyne and James, the owner, managed to get hold of Capita’s 2012 Green Machine to test out and has written up a review for GONEboarding.

You can receive 10% off all purchases through Cab Five using the discount code ‘CAB11GBMD’ at the checkout.

For us in the UK snowboarding is kind of hard work. Other than those living very close to the Scottish resorts it is a bit of a mission for us to get our fix. The fridge scene is not for everyone and the dryslope scene even less so. Unless your into park riding, the UK does not have a whole lot to offer. Now spring has arrived the chances of getting that rush from carving down a slope are pretty slim for many however there is a solution.

I’ve just been slapped in the face with a big dose of reality, and really wish that wasn’t the case. The past 2 weeks have been some of the most awesome days on snow with some of my closest riding buddies, on what could have only been described as dream spring conditions.

On our last night on camp, on the final camp of the season, (once the carnage had subsided), we all became quite emotional – but in one of those states where you’re honest about everything you say. And the results were a handful of us riders just openly sharing how much these camps mean to us – and how much we love sharing these moments on the mountains with such good friends – old and new.

Admittedly the alcohol-fuelled conversations drifted somewhat, but it made me realise it wasn’t just me who felt so strongly about the camps – we all feel the same.

Pete from Love Snow had a chance to get his hands on a couple of the new Never Summer boards and was kind enough to review them for GONEboarding. The two boards reviewed where the Proto CTX 158 and the Premier F1 159.

GONEboarding is also proud to partner with Love Snow on upcoming snowboard courses and coaching to give members special offers! Love Snow told us; "We're in the planning stages for our 'simple snowboarding' intermediate courses that will run in January, with prices as low as £300 for accomodation and 6 days full instruction (6 hours per day)."

You can also receive a discount on any purchases through Love Snow from Born Extreme, using the code 'LOVESNOW'.

Holidays in the hills are expensive. There is no getting away from it. Whether you go on a ‘budget’ snow holiday to Bulgaria and find out the price of Milk is £5 a litre or head to Andorra for a cheap lift pass to discover they’ve hiked the price by 200% there is very little available truly offering great value for money. This is especially true when you consider that you’re staying in one place for the week doing very little different than what everybody else does week-in and week-out.

To be a good all round snowboarder it is important to have skills in all aspects of snowboarding, to be a complete rider. The key starting point for all snowboarders should be to work on having good technique. With good technique, whatever aspect of snowboarding you want to focus on will be made easier. If you have bad technique you will always be trying to compensate for this, which will in turn hinder your development.

We know how important buying a new board can be, whether you choose your board for the graphics, new technology, or how ethical it is has been manufactured. The Lucky snowboards company originates from the San Francisco Bay Area they produce boards for your urban shredders and you freestyle heads out there.

Bamboo Rider are a new company coming from Fife, Scotland not just making kick ass clothing but championing snowboarders, skaters, photographers, and musicians. They offer an alternative choice of products made from materials that are ethically sourced and accredited.

Ride Revival was born to breath new life into something which has given people lots of enjoyment, whether hitting big kickers at dry slopes, jibbing in the fridges around the UK or spending time shredding on the mountains.

‘Know a place? Join Us.’ That is the message of the campaign launched today by new ‘for adventure, not profit’ initiative Much Better Adventures. The campaign encourages snowboarders to come forward with suggestions of great local accommodation, outfitters, guides, bars, and restaurants they would recommend to a friend. The aim is to build a word-of-mouth travel resource that connects snowboarders direct to recommended local providers you can otherwise struggle to find, support local business and reward ethical practice. We have joined in, offering you the chance to make suggestions and get put in the draw to win a week’s holiday with Riders Refuge in Morzine, and t-shirts from Picture.

We had a quick catch up with Aimee and dropped her some questions for her first GB feature, already this season she has been in Hintertux with the GB team, in Saas Fee and Breckenridge, Colorado USA, with the Roxy team and now in Calgary Canada.

With just 6 weeks left until the Animal Snow Camps hit Pila, Italy, we're counting down the days and hours til we not only get to enjoy the fresh powder, but also get to stoke our riding up a few levels. The Animal Snow Camps give you high-quality snowboard tuition programmes where every snowboarder comes back with new tricks in their personal bag of tricks, accomplishments they never dreamed of, and a whole pack of new riding buddies.

GB had a chance to catch up with Katie Blundell and Rowan Biddiscombe recently and will be covering there epic trip to Tahoe. We kicked it of with a run down of what Katie had been up to since getting over there, a Tahoe quiz and also lot's more to come!

The recovery position feels so good, but I'd do it all again if I could right now, and I just can't seem to wipe this smile. We've just returned from the first Animal Snow Camp of the season, and as my third year on these camps, I can honestly say they're just getting bigger and better.

ReRide.co.uk was conceived out of the aprés ski bars of La Tania in the French Alps last season. An all night meeting ensued and a revolutionary online snowboarding concept was born.

Currently, Reride.co.uk is the only online snowboard shop to offer a trade-in-your-old-board service when buying a brand new board. By operating in an online only capacity, they have the ability to stick to their mantra of providing high levels of customer service, keeping it simple and being as environmentally friendly as is possible; according to Russell Waddell, ReRide’s co-creator.

It was the first Park and Ride freestyle session at Hemel Snow Centre last night, and as a double whammy for the start of the new year, it was the Adidas ID2 goggle demo night. Not only was there a massive park set-up, but the Adidas crew were there in force to give us the lowdown on their latest ID2 goggles.

Ever wondered what goes into designing those all important graphics on your snowboard? Long standing French brand Apo snowboards have always had a thirst for original and unusual graphics for their boards. Over 25 years they have been designing and manufacturing some of the most iconic boards available and over the decades they have always managed to find the most unique and inspired artists to create designs for their boards along with some pretty darn sick riders to shred them.

Anyone who has ever known anything about Yoga would have heard or maybe experienced first-hand for themselves any of the long list of health benefits associated with it. Increased flexibility, core strength and stability, healthy joints, better stamina, balance and co-ordination to name a few found benefits not to mention increased concentration and focus and also a calm, clear relaxed mind.

Earlier this year I hit up the Snowboard Test in Kauntertal Austria to test out all this season's kit, alongside the rest of the UK snowboard industry – distributors, brands, media and riders.

This year was a particularly test-worthy test with every element thrown our way – from powder to ice, to mist to slush, all in the space of a few days. But it meant we could truly put every board, boot and binding through their paces, and I could compile the ultimate Dear Santa list for guys and gals. Just promise you've been good this year.

Getting the right boots is, without doubt, the single most important equipment purchase you can make – get it right you’ll progress faster, ride longer and ride harder – get it wrong and your time on the hill can become a misery. It’s a hugely personal thing – don’t rush it, find an expert and try on as many boots as you can.

Nike 6.0 were representing at Freeze this year, celebrating the Launch of Nike 6.0 Outerwear. The stand created a stir amongst the visitors, with a crystal maze type ticket machine, air hockey and on view the latest outerwear.

GB recently had a catch up with Dan and Rad from Chill-Snowboards when I gave them a call about some Union bindings. We got talking and it was good to see the direction these guy were going, growing the business and there involvement within the industry.

Ever dreamt of being a professional snowboarder, traveling the world riding everyday, having fun with your mates? Most of us have hoped we have the skills at some point to take it that step further, get ‘ sponsored’, but what does it really mean to be a sponsored professional rider and what does it take to keep it going?

Winter officially landed in London this weekend when the Relentless Freeze Festival dumped its immense load of snow and tunes on Battersea Power Station. Every year the festival just keeps getting better and better, and this year proved no different, providing the ultimate mix of top-form riding and epic music in a weekend of shred, dance and apres to remember.

If your heading to Morzine or not decided on your trip check out this Article.

More Mountain LOVE snowboarding - Simple. We have wicked chalets and apartments in top locations. We don't compromise on standards or service. We have a brilliant laugh with you on your holiday coupled with a lot of style and tasty grub... it's luxury but not pretentious!

If you snowboard through the winter season you might find that the first few weeks are spent getting your legs used to riding and your head round the technicalities. On your own this takes time and a touch of trial and error. But it's important to understand that what you do within your first month of riding defines how your muscle memory will work throughout the season.

Most people have lessons when they start riding, then pick up the rest from their mates or trial-and-error on the mountain.

But last year I made a new discovery which has not only cut my trial-and-error injury rate, but changed my riding forever – the Animal Snow Camps. I'm almost a veteran camper now. Three times I've been away with the Animal pros – France, Japan and Austria – and three times I've had three of the best week's (or fortnight's!) riding ever. And I'm not making that up.

Kaz Willmer finds her fairytale ending with the Animal Snow Camps in Japan.The very word 'fairytale' conjures up images of magical, far-fetched stories, with folklore characters and make-believe surroundings, all enveloped with happy endings.